Pascal's Pensées eBook

The end of this discourse.—­Now,
what harm will befall you in taking this side?
You will be faithful, honest, humble, grateful, generous,
a sincere friend, truthful. Certainly you will
not have those poisonous pleasures, glory and luxury;
but will you not have others? I will tell you
that you will thereby gain in this life, and that,
at each step you take on this road, you will see so
great certainty of gain, so much nothingness in what
you risk, that you will at last recognise that you
have wagered for something certain and infinite, for
which you have given nothing.

“Ah! This discourse transports me, charms
me,” etc.

If this discourse pleases you and seems impressive,
know that it is made by a man who has knelt, both
before and after it, in prayer to that Being, infinite
and without parts, before whom he lays all he has,
for you also to lay before Him all you have for your
own good and for His glory, that so strength may be
given to lowliness.

234

If we must not act save on a certainty, we ought not
to act on religion, for it is not certain. But
how many things we do on an uncertainty, sea voyages,
battles! I say then we must do nothing at all,
for nothing is certain, and that there is more certainty
in religion than there is as to whether we may see
to-morrow; for it is not certain that we may see to-morrow,
and it is certainly possible that we may not see it.
We cannot say as much about religion. It is not
certain that it is; but who will venture to say that
it is certainly possible that it is not? Now
when we work for to-morrow, and so on an uncertainty,
we act reasonably; for we ought to work for an uncertainty
according to the doctrine of chance which was demonstrated
above.

Saint Augustine has seen that we work for an uncertainty,
on sea, in battle, etc. But he has not seen
the doctrine of chance which proves that we should
do so. Montaigne has seen that we are shocked
at a fool, and that habit is all-powerful; but he
has not seen the reason of this effect.

All these persons have seen the effects, but they
have not seen the causes. They are, in comparison
with those who have discovered the causes, as those
who have only eyes are in comparison with those who
have intellect. For the effects are perceptible
by sense, and the causes are visible only to the intellect.
And although these effects are seen by the mind, this
mind is, in comparison with the mind which sees the
causes, as the bodily senses are in comparison with
the intellect.

235

Rem viderunt, causam non viderunt.

236

According to the doctrine of chance, you ought to
put yourself to the trouble of searching for the truth;
for if you die without worshipping the True Cause,
you are lost.—­“But,” say you,
“if He had wished me to worship Him, He would
have left me signs of His will.”—­He
has done so; but you neglect them. Seek them,
therefore; it is well worth it.